iMac Vs PowerMac???

I am looking for some opinion and advise before purchasing one or the other.
Either the iMac or PowerMac.

I'm new to apple machines, i do not currently own one but I am planning to make the switch and treat myself to a iMac or PowerMac in the next few weeks. Before i make that decision I thought it prudent to take gather some opinion from the people in the know, users and enthusiasts aka anybody reading this thread.

Regarding the PowerMac option, obviosly there is a price difference, If I go for a medium spec PowerMac is it possible to upgrade the components at a later date? Or would it be better to postpone my purchase and buy a higher spec machine at a date?

Power Mac or Mac Pro? BIG difference. One is old Power PC and long discontinued and the other is Current and Intel. Power PC is history and very slow compared to any iMac with an Intel CPU and it's a Dead End.

Power Mac or Mac Pro? BIG difference. One is old Power PC and long discontinued and the other is Current and Intel. Power PC is history and very slow compared to any iMac with an Intel CPU and it's a Dead End.

If you mean Mac Pro let us know.

not very slow, the g5 stands up nicely against intels, you can't run MorphOS on an intel either

I am a graphic designer yes believe it or not I am using a PC for graphics etc, i have read enough to know that whichever switch i make from my PC based system to Apple will be a Huge leap forwards in speed and power.

The machine will do allsorts of tasks from photoshop editing to word processing to some basic 3D stuff (not intricate CAD work).
I will also use it as my home entertainment center for internet, email and watching movies etc

As others have said, if you want a good answer you should give some more details, specifically what you think your main use of the machine will be.

At this PARTICULAR moment in time, the top of the line iMac matches or outperforms all but the very top of the line Mac Pro. Apple will likely correct this in the near future, but nobody knows exactly when.

The current top of the line iMac is a magnificent machine, and although they had some teething troubles with monitors, that issue is now being corrected so at this point I think it's safe to say "order with confidence."

Basically the current iMacs are more than powerful enough for any "normal" use (including pro audio/video work), and they've recently been updated so they are set for a while. That said, if you need supermassive storage, flexible upgrade options or you do a heavy amount of multiprocessor-dependent work (for example, 3D rendering), I would certainly suggest you wait for the upcoming Mac Pro update.

I do a little 3D work but that tends to be more for my own little projects rather than massively complex CAD rendering etc

I use photoshop quite heavily, but apart from that i cant imagine making huge demands on a high end machine, if I go for the iMac it will be the new top spec machine.

One of the reasons I was considering the Pro is that I thought that if I buy a low to mid range PRO I can upgrade the machine to the same spec as the current top end PRO machines as funds become more readily available.

Also I had another reason which favours the PRO route...
I had been led to believe that the apple stand alone monitors (pretty as they are) are overly expensive and that I could buy a cheaper HD monitor instead. From then I thought well, could I actually buy a HD TV with the right inputs and then the monitor doubles as a TV. (or can i do that with apple TV?)

Regarding the PowerMac option, obviosly there is a price difference, If I go for a medium spec PowerMac is it possible to upgrade the components at a later date? Or would it be better to postpone my purchase and buy a higher spec machine at a date?

I hope that you have picked on the "little detail" that Apple no longer sells Powermac's. The last Powermac was sold August, 2006!

Of course you may be talking about an older used computer...and then your terminology would be correct. But if you're talking about getting a new Apple desktop computer...then your choices are a Mac Pro or an iMac.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

- Too many "beachballs", read this: Beachballs- Computer seems slower than it used to? Read this for some slow computer tips: Speedup- Almost full hard drive? Some solutions. Out of Space- Apple Battery Info. Battery

I hope that you have picked on the "little detail" that Apple no longer sells Powermac's. The last Powermac was sold August, 2006!

Of course you may be talking about an older used computer...and then your terminology would be correct. But if you're talking about getting a new Apple desktop computer...then your choices are a Mac Pro or an iMac.

To help with your decision (Mac Pro vs. iMac)...do you have any sort of maximum budget that might narrow the choices?

- Nick

- Too many "beachballs", read this: Beachballs- Computer seems slower than it used to? Read this for some slow computer tips: Speedup- Almost full hard drive? Some solutions. Out of Space- Apple Battery Info. Battery

Hadn't really set a budget, to be honest that was one of the reasons to have a chat on here. I am not currently in the position to go out and buy either top end machine tomorrow but I am putting money by for it. which outs me in the position of do I buy a low end machine and upgrade it at a later date or do I postpone my purchase and buy the higher end machine when apple fund has grown sufficiently.

I had envisaged spending somewhere between £2-£3.5k but the thing to bear in mind is that i've not yet converted to apple so i'm in unfamiliar territory, I know I could buy a pretty stunning PC for that kind of money, but i have no desire to use VISTA or MSW7) I do not mind to spend that bit more on my purchase if my money is well spent. hope that makes sense to anybody else reading it.